If your family doctor suspects you have soft tissue sarcoma, you’ll likely be referred to a cancer doctor (oncologist) who specializes in sarcomas. Soft tissue sarcoma is fairly rare and is best treated by someone who has experience with it, often at an academic or specialized cancer center.
Who is the best doctor for sarcoma?
Dr. Wittig, Orthopedic Oncologist and Sarcoma Surgeon, ranked as Top Doctor by US News and World Report > Tumor Surgery.
What oncologist treats sarcoma?
Surgical oncologists and orthopedic oncologists are doctors who specialize in treating sarcomas using surgery. The surgeon’s goal is to remove the tumor and enough normal tissue surrounding it to obtain a clean margin around the tumor.
What is the best treatment for soft tissue sarcoma?
Treatment of recurrent soft tissue sarcoma may include the following:
- Surgery (wide local excision) with or without radiation therapy.
- Surgery (amputation; rarely done).
- Surgery to remove cancer that has recurred in the lungs.
- Targeted therapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (pazopanib or imatinib).
- Chemotherapy.
Can a dermatologist diagnose sarcoma?
Dermatologists diagnose Kaposi sarcoma by taking a biopsy of the lesion. If cancer is present, the dermatologist will discuss your treatment options.
What is the life expectancy with sarcoma?
5-year relative survival rates for soft tissue sarcoma
| SEER Stage | 5-Year Relative Survival Rate |
|---|---|
| Localized | 81% |
| Regional | 56% |
| Distant | 15% |
| All SEER stages combined | 65% |
What is the survival rate of sarcoma?
The overall 5-year survival rate for sarcoma is 65%. About 60% of sarcomas are found as a localized sarcoma. The 5-year survival rate for people with localized sarcoma is 81%. About 18% of sarcomas are found in a locally advanced stage.
How do you know if sarcoma is spreading?
CT or CAT scan: This is a type of x-ray that takes clear, detailed pictures of your insides and the tumor or lump. This test may also be done to see if cancer has spread.
Where does sarcoma usually start?
Sarcoma is a rare cancer that starts in connective tissues such as bone, cartilage, and muscle. It develops when the cells that make up these tissues (called mesenchymal cells) begin to grow out of control.
How serious is soft tissue sarcoma?
Soft tissue sarcoma is a serious illness that can be successfully treated if diagnosed before it spreads. Overall, approximately 65% of adults treated for soft tissue sarcoma are alive five years after treatment.
Can sarcoma shrink by itself?
They can shrink and go away on their own, they can remain the same size, or they can grow quickly.
What does a sarcoma lump feel like?
Symptoms of soft tissue sarcomas
For example: swelling under the skin may cause a painless lump that cannot easily be moved around and gets bigger over time. swelling in the tummy (abdomen) may cause abdominal pain, a persistent feeling of fullness and constipation.
How big is a sarcoma lump?
The mean size of all sarcomas at presentation was 10.7 cm and did not vary significantly between the main diagnostic categories (soft tissue sarcomas, 10 cm; osteosarcoma, 11.3 cm; chondrosarcoma, 11.7 cm; Ewing’s sarcoma, 11.2 cm) whilst the range was from 0.2 cm to 45 cm. (Fig. 1).
Will a sarcoma show up on an ultrasound?
To diagnose a sarcoma, a specialist doctor will usually arrange for you to have use an ultrasound scan and a biopsy.
How do you rule out sarcoma?
A diagnosis of sarcoma is made by a combination of clinical examination by a doctor and imaging tests. It is confirmed by the results of a biopsy.
However, a biopsy is almost always needed.
- X-ray.
- Ultrasound.
- Computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Does sarcoma show up on MRI?
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
MRI scans are often part of the work-up of any tumor that could be a sarcoma. They’re often better than CT scans in evaluating sarcomas in the arms or legs. MRI provides a good picture of the extent of the tumor.
Is sarcoma always terminal?
A sarcoma is considered stage IV when it has spread to distant parts of the body. Stage IV sarcomas are rarely curable. But some patients may be cured if the main (primary) tumor and all of the areas of cancer spread (metastases) can be removed by surgery.
What are the chances of dying from sarcoma?
In general, the prognosis for a soft tissue sarcoma is poorer if the sarcoma is large. As a general rule, high-grade soft tissue sarcomas over 10 cm in diameter have an approximate 50% mortality rate and those over 15 cm in diameter have an approximate 75% mortality rate.
Can you beat sarcoma?
Sarcoma can be beat, one step at a time | University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.
Can you have a sarcoma for years?
Synovial sarcoma is a representative type of slowly growing highly malignant tumor, and it has been reported that in synovial sarcoma cases, a substantial proportion of patients have an average symptomatic period of 2 to 4 years, though in some rare cases, this period has been reported to be longer than 20 years [4].
How aggressive is sarcoma?
More aggressive sarcomas are harder to treat successfully. The survival rate for osteosarcoma is between 60% and 75% if the cancer has not spread outside the area it started. It is more likely to be cured if all of the cancer can be removed by surgery.
